Page 32 of An Archer's Redemption

I round the corner of a stately manor, and the Palace bursts into view.

I skid to a stop as my mind again struggles to process what my eyes witness.

Soldiers in green-and-gold livery lie scattered and broken before ornate iron gates. In their place, men in brown robes, each holding a heavy cudgel, stand vigil. They scan the street before them, ready to strike, but none appear to notice the Mage striding toward them.

I am invisible still.

I reach the first of the fallen Palace Guard and peer down.

The smell of waste and bile assaults my senses.

I stumble back.

A man’s throat bears vicious lines, as if rent by massive claws. His arm lies a few paces away.

He’s been ripped apart.

I move to the next guard and find similar wounds. Some wild beast has devastated the ranks of the royal elite.

How was this even possible?

I glance up and realize I now stand face-to-face with one of the robed figures. Human eyes glare from behind the mask of death. To my surprise, those eyes hold no anger or enmity, only emptiness. Fear races through my chest, yet the hollow eyes cannot see me.

I take another step toward the gate.

The world flashed again.

When my vision clears, I find myself in the royal audience chamber, paces from the Throne of Spires. Jess stares out, the sunset auburn of her hair trailing across one shoulder of her pristine, snowy gown. A trail of blood trickles from her nose, and her eyes bear the glassy stare of one departed.

The bulky form of a man in blue lies on the bottom step of the dais before her.

“NO!”I scream.

I fall to my knees before Keelan’s unmoving form.

It is impossible to tell how long I hover over my adopted son’s body before the scuffling of boots on marble turns my head.

Again, what I see threatens to overwhelm my mind.

Five beasts stand in a line before the chamber’s massive bronze doors: a horse, a wolf, a bird of prey, a bear, and a mastiff.

Blood drips from fangs and claws.

Each stares directly at me.

They see me.

The world flared again.

I stand on the Eye in the Chamber of the Triad.

Tendrils of terror lace into my chest with white-hot rage.

I try to raise a shield, but it is too late—insidious barbs bury deep within my spirit. I feel their hunger, their hatred. I scream in pain as something precious rips from my soul.

Then I hear a voice.

It is a whisper but compelling all the same.

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